The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has charged officials of the governing New Patriotic Party to use their talents to give back progress and development to the people as Ghanaians welcome the New Year.

In a goodwill message as Christians mark the birth of Christ, the PPP used the opportunity to remind Ghanaians “of the relevance of giving, sacrifice, and selflessness, especially on the part of public servants including members of the NPP, led administration.”

According to them, the country has suffered so much economic hardship in the waning year and that it is befitting for the government to ease the hardship by giving back more to the people.

“They should provide job opportunities that bring productivity and hope for Ghanaians and not more taxes, poverty, and joblessness among the youth. We need salvation in 2022, from corruption, incompetence, and mismanagement,” they stated.

The PPP further urged the NPP government to initiate the much-anticipated constitutional review as well as allow MMDCEs to be elected into office against being appointed by the President.

“The PPP wishes to remind the NPP government that we need development at the grassroots and this can be done speedily if we allow for the election of MMDCEs. The government should seek to amend the constitution and allow for the election of MMDCEs without seeking to make it partisan for now,” they said.

The party also called for the abolishment of the E-Levy Bill and entreated the government to instead, widen the tax net.

“We urge government to recruit the teeming unemployed youth to go round, register and tax all informal professionals instead of seeking to rather impose the e-levy to burden those who seek to use Mobile Money for transactions. We need a widened tax net and not double taxation.

“Revenue of GHC7 billion from E-Levy will be useless if we are not able to stop revenue leakage of GHC14 billion as stated by the 2021 Auditor General’s Report,” the PPP stated.

“The PPP wishes all Christians and Ghanaians, in general, a Merry Christmas as we mark the annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The celebration of the birth of Christ brings with it, great lessons of giving, sacrifice and selflessness as God is the first to give His only begotten Son as our Saviour and Redeemer,” the message concluded.